Mop having disposable sheets



Aug. 10, 1965 F. GEORGE 3,199,136

MOP HAVING DISPOSABLE SHEETS Original Filed May 28, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet1 PHILIP F. GEORGE INVENTOR.

Aug. 10, 1965 F, GEORGE 3,199,136

MOP HAVING DISPOSABLE SHEETS I Original Filed May 28, 1962 2Sheets-Sheet 2 f INVENTOR PHILI P F. GEORGE United States Patent arsenas Ill 1 33i HAVENG DHSPUSABLE SHEETS Philip F. George, 2 Dartmouth St.,Worcester, Mass. Continuation of application Ser. No. 198,059, May 28,1962. This application Sept. 8, 31964, Ser. No. 396,467 2 Claims. or.15-231 This is a continuation of my co-pending patent application SerialNumber 198,059, filed May 28, 1962, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a mop having disposable sheets and, moreparticularly, to apparatus arranged to facilitate the removal of dirtfrom fioors and other broad surfaces.

It is common practice to clean floors by using a mo; in conjunction witha plurality of receptacles, one receptacle containing a soap-and-watersolution and the other a clear Water solution for rinsing. The mop isdipped into the soapand-water solution and applied to the floor toloosen and remove the dirt. When the mop is agai inserted into thereceptacle containing the soap-and-water solution, the mop carries dirtinto the solution and in a short while the solution becomes dirty sothat it is necessary to throw it away and to replace it with cleancleaning fluid. Even when the cleaning solution is first used, the smallamount of dirt released by the first mop insertion means that the flooris being was red with a suspension of dirt and the floor is dulled bythe thin layer of dirt which remains when the floor dries. In the sameway, if the mop is inserted in the rinsing solution, dirt is carriedinto the rinsing solution so that it must be disposed of at fairlyfrequent intervals. Even when a separate mop is used with the rinsingsolution, the mop picks up dirt from the floor and releases it into thesolution so that the rinsing solution must be replaced frequently. Notonly is it time-consuming to replace the cleaning fluid, as well as therinsing fluid, but such frequent replacement is expensive, since thedetergent or soap is thrown away with the cleaning fluid and, if hotwater is used in both the cleaning fluid and the rinsing fluid, the useof large amounts of hot water in an institution, such as a hospital,adds considerably to the cost of maintaining the institution. These andother diificulties experienced with the prior art apparatus and practicehave been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide amop having disposable sheets which will permit the use of a cleaningfluid or a rinsing fluid for an indefinite period of time.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a mop havingdisposable sheets on which the dirt is retained on a disposable elementand is not introduced into the cleaning fluid.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a mophaving disposable sheets which is portable and which will permit thecleaning of floors and the like for long periods of time withoutreplacement or disposal of the cleaning fluids.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mop havingdisposable sheets in which the cleaning fluid and the rinsing fluid donot get dirty so that cleaning may take place for a long period of timefor great distances from the source of water and other cleaningmaterials.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mop whose head isprovided with a plural-layer, disposable cover, wherein the cover may beremoved readily to expose a clean surface when desirable.

A. still further object of this invention is the provision of adisposable mop cover consisting of a plurality of thicknesses ofabsorbent material which may be readily removed, a sheet at a time, toexpose clean surface.

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Another obiect of the invention is the provision of apparatus forwashing floors in such a manner that a thin layer of dirt does notremain on the floor when the water dries.

With these and other objects in View, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of partsset forth in the specification and covered by the claims appendedhereto.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood byreference to certain of its structural forms, as illustrated by theaccompanying drawings in which:

FEG. l is a perspective view of cleaning apparatus embodying theprinciples of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a mop forming the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a disposable cover used with the mop,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cover taken on the line IV- i-i ofPEG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a mop forming part of theapparatus,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the mop,

FIG. '7 is a plan view of a cart forming part of the apparatus,

Referring first to FIG. 1, wherein are best shown the PEG. 8 is avertical sectional view of the cart taken on the line VlllVlll of FIG.7,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a rack forming part of theapparatus and used on a receptacle,

PEG. 10 is a vertica sectional view of the rack taken on the line -X ofPK}. 9, and

FIG. 11 is a generally-horizontal sectional view of the rack taken onthe line XlXI of FIG. 9.

Referring first to HQ. 1, wherein are best shown the general features ofthe device, the cleaning apparatus, indicated generally by the referencenumeral id, is shown as consisting of a cart ill on which are mountedthree receptacles, l2, l5, and 2M. 6n top of the receptacle 13 ismounted a rack 15 carrying a mop l6. On the receptacle i4 is carried arack 1'7 carrying a mop 18.

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the mop 16 consists of a handle19 having at one end a head 21 around which is wrapped a cover 22..

In FlGS. 3 and 4 it can be seen that the cover 22 consists of aplurality of sheets 22, 23, 2 Z5, Z6, and The outer; .ost sheet 22. istypical of the rest. The sheet is provided with a large rectangular mainbody 28 formed of an absorptive paper material selected to have high wetstrength and capable of permitting the flow of fluid therethrough whileretaining dirt contained in the fluid. Extending from one side of themain body are two rectangular fingers 2% and 31, which are spaced aparta substantial distance. The finger 2 is provided with a tab 32 locatedadiacent the juncture of the finger to the main body, while the finger31 is similarly provided with a tab 33. The tabs 32 and 33 are elongatedmembers of considerable strength and extend laterally from the fingers asubstantial distance. Each tab is cemented or otherwise fastened to itslinger in such a manner that pulling strongly on the tab results in atearing of the sheet or finger material rather than the separation ofthe tab from the material. All of the other sheets 23, 25, 2d, and 27are similarly provided with fingers and tabs. All of the fingersunderlying the finger 2?) are fastened together by a staple 34, while asimilar staple joins all of the fingers underlying the finger 31. Thestaples 34 and 35 are the sole means joining the various sheets togetherinto a unitary cover.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, which show the details of the mop it, itcan be seen that the head 21 is provided with a rectangular steel plate36 to the upper surface of which is attached a fitting 37. The handle 19fits into a ferrule on the fitting and is locked in place by a fastener41. Underlying the plate as are two blocks 42 and 43 formed or" asponge-lire material which may be either a natural or an artificialsponge. This mate rial is capable of absorbing large amounts of fluid.The block d2 is cemented in a sheet steel cap 34 which is fastened tothe plate 36 by screws 33 and Similarly, the block 43 is cemented in acap 45 which is also attached by screws to the plate 36. Overlying theblock 43 is a clamp 46 consisting of a first arm 47 whose free end isfastened between the plate 3-6 and the cap and held in place by thepressure of the screws which hold these two members together. The clampis also provided with another arm 48, these two arms being biased intoclamping relationship by a tubular spring 49. Overlying the block 42 aretwo clamps i and 52. which are exactly alike. The clamp 52 is providedwith one arm 53 which is held between the plate 36 and the cap 4% by thescrews which hold these members together. The clamp is provided withanother arm 5 which extends upwardly at an angle to the arm 53, the armsbeing held in resilient clamping condition by a tubular spring 55. Theclamp 51 is similarly fastened to the head 21. In FIG. 6 it can be seenthat the clamp 46 is located centrally of the side of the plate 35 fromwhich it extends, while the clamps 51 and 52. are spaced, the spacebeing tie same as the distance between the fingers 29 and 31 of thecover 22.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the details of the cart ill. The cart consists of amain body consisting of a square piece of fiat material. Extendingaround the main body 56 is a raised rim 57 having an upper edgeextending a short distance above the upper surface 55 of the main body56. The upper surface is provided with a raised rim 59 adapted toreceive the receptacle 3; a raised rim 61 adapted to receive thereceptacle 14; and a raised rim 62 adapted to receive the receptacle 12.The rims 59 and 61 are circular to match their receptacles which areshown as metal pails, while the rim Q32 is somewhat rectangular withrounded corners to match the receptacle 12 which is shown as a plasticwaste basket. Extending from the underside of the main body 56 are threecasters 63, 64, and 65. Mounted on the upper surface of the main body 56is a thermostat element 66 from which extends an electrical cord 67terminating in a plug 68. Also extending from the thermostatic element65 are heating elements 69 and 71. The heating element 69 is embedded inthe main body within the rim 59, while the heating element 71 isembedded in the main body within the rim 61.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 show the details of the rack 15. The rack consistsof a wire basket 72 which opens upwardly and tapers inwardly somewhat inthe downward direction. The basket is provided with a generallyrectangular upper loop 73 and a spaced parallel lower loop 74, thelatter being adapted to rest on the rim of the receptacle 13. The loops73 and 74 are joined by other wire members which extend downwardly andthen inwardly to form the bottom of the basket. One corner of the loop74 is provided with a clamp 75, while an adjacent corner of the loop 74is provided with a similar clamp 76. The side of the loop 72 oppositethe corners of the basket which are provided with the clamps 75 and 76is provided with a horizontal loop 77. Through this loop extends thelower end of an elongated supporting arm 78, the arm extending betweenthe upper loop 73 and the lower loop 74 and being wedged between bottomwire elements of the basket. The outer end of the arm is provided with adownwardly-turned handle portion 79 and adjacent the handle portion is aclip In FIG. it can be seen that the clamp 76 is provided with two arms32 and 63 which are held in biased condition by a tubular spring 84 sothat they clamp a beaded rim 85 of the receptacle 13. A fastener 86extends across the outer ends of the arms 82 and 83 and traps the wireloop 74 of the basket. The clamps 75 and 76, therefore, act

on the rack R5 as hinges, holding it in place over the top of thereceptacle yet permitting it to be moved about a hinge line away fromthe receptacle to permit the mop to be inserted.

FIG. 11 shows that the clip til is held on the arm '78 by a fastener 87and is of an angular configuration suitable for clamping and holding thehandle 19 of the mop in the manner shown.

The operation of the cleaning apparatus will now be readily understoodin view of the above description. In order to clean the floor, acleaning fluid is placed in the receptacle 13. This cleaning fluid mayconsist of a soapand-water solution or a solution of a detergent withwater, which water would probably be hot. The receptacle 14 is partiallyfilled with hot clean water which will be used for rinsing. Thereceptacle i2 is used to receive a sheet removed from the disposablecover 22; this sheet carrying dirt is disposed of by placing in thereceptacle 12. With the racks 15 and 17 in place on the receptacles 13and M and with the mops l6 and iii in place on the racks, the entireassemblage may be moved over the floor by grasping the handles of themops and using them for steering and pushing. As the operator proceedsdown a corridor, for instance, he will stop to clean a given area offloor. First of all, he will grasp the mop 16 and r move it from therack 15. Then, by grasping the handle 79 of the supporting arm 72 of therack 15, the rack will be hingedly moved about the clamps and 76 to aposition away from the top of the receptacle. The mop i6 is theninserted in the cleaning fluid in the receptacle l3 and is wetted. Then,the rack is returned to operative position and the mop is pressedlightly in the rack to remove excess lluid. The mop is applied to thefloor and moved around to loosen the dirt. The sponge-like blocks 42 and43 have been filled with cleaning fluid, but the fluid is free to passoutwardly through the cover 22, since it is formed or" absorptive papermaterial. The mop is pressed on the floor, thus releasing the cleaningfluid from the blocks 42 and 43. After a small area of the floor hasbeen thus cleaned, the rack is returned to its original position withthe loop 74 resting on the rim of the receptacle 13. The mop is placedin the basket with the head in the basket and the handle in the clip 81.Before the mop 16 is returned to the rack, however, a layer of thedisposable cover 22 is removed and placed in the receptacle 12. The mop(which now has no dirt in it) is returned to the rack 15 and presseddownwardly so that the cleaning fluid is returned to the receptacle 13.Then, the handle of the mop is placed in the clip 81. Then, the operatorremoves the other mop 18 from its rack 17 and rotates the rack about itshinge clamps so that the rinsing fluid receptacle 14 is exposed. The mopis inserted in the rinsing fluid so that the sponge-like blocks makingup the head absorb a quantity. Then, the rack is returned and the moppressed in the bask t to remove excess fluid. The area of the floorwhich has previously been cleaned with cleaning fluid is rinsed with therinsing fluid. Before the mop is returned to the rack the operatorremoves the outer layer of the disposable cover 22. Thereafter, the mophead is placed in the rack 17 and pressed downwardly so that the rinsingfluid returns to the receptacle 14. Then, the handle of the mop isplaced in the clip of the rack 17 and held in place.

If the floor still carries some moisture, it may be dried by making useof the mop 18 to absorb any remaining moisture. The outer layer of thedisposable cover is always removed so that the dirt is no longerassociated with the mop. The layer of cover is placed in the receptacle12; the mop is returned to the rack 17, pressed downwardly against thebottom of the basket to return the fluid to the receptacle M, and thenis clipped in place on the supporting arm of the rack.

If desired, as the operator moves the cart 11 and the rest of thecleaning apparatus along the corridor from one place to another, he mayalso insert the plug 68 in one of the electrical receptacles which, asis usual practice, is placed at convenient intervals in rooms and alongcorridors. In this way, with the thermostat 66 set for a predeterminedtemperature, the coil 69 maintains the cleaning fluid in the receptacle13 hot, while the heating coil 71 keeps the rinsing fluid in receptacle14 hot. Since the fluid which is squeezed out of the blocks 42 and 43 bypressure of the mop 16 on the bottom of the basket '7 2 passes outwardlythrough a disposable cover 22 which has no dirt on it (since the layerof dirt has been removed by the removal of the outermost sheet), thecleaning fluid in the receptacle 13 never gets dirty. In the same way,the rinsing fluid in the receptacle 14 never gets dirty. Since it is notnecesasry to replace the cleaning fluid or the rinsing fluid, it isdesirable to keep it hot and the coils 69 and 71 accomplish thispurpose.

In order to remove a layer from the disposable cover 22, the operatorpicks up the mop, grasps the tab 32, and tears it across the finger 29.The portion of the outer sheet 22 through which the staple 34 passesremains behind with the rest of the cover. Then, he tears the tab 33in asimilar manner, thus dividing the finger 31. In this condition the sheet22 is only held along its opposite edge by the clamp 46. At that time,the operator tears the sheet from the clamp 46, leaving a small portionof the paper behind. This means that the sheet 23 is now the outermostsheet of the cover 22 and is clean, since the sheet 22' (which carriedall the dirt) has been removed and dropped in the receptacle 12.

As the work progresses, it may be necessary because of the removal ofsheets to place a new cover 22 on the head of the mop. For this purpose,the fingers 29 and 31 of the new cover may be clamped in the clamps 51and 52, respectively. The sheets of the entire cover are loose exceptfor the parts which are held together by the staples 34 and 35; thesesheets are stretched across the bottoms of the blocks 42 and 43 and theopposite edges are clamped in the clamp 46. It should be noted that, inremoving the outer layer or sheet from the disposable cover 22, it isnot necessary for the operator to touch a portion of the sheet which iscovered with dirt. Normally, the dirt would be in the center portion ofthe main body 28 of any given sheet. The outer edges of that main body,including the fingers 29 and 31, would be free of such dirt, although,of course, they might contain cleaning and rinsing fluid.

It can be seen then, that, since it is not necessary to replace thecleaning fluid in the receptacle 13, a considerable saving will beexperienced because of the fact that much less soap or detergent will beused. In the case of both fluids, the use of hot water is substantiallyreduced which, in the case of a large institution, means a great savingin cost of operation. The major saving, of course, is in labor, sincethe operator may continuously perform the cleaning operation on thefloor without returning (as is the usual case) to a sink at one end ofthe corridor. In other words, he may progress continuously along acorridor and through a building without the necessity of returning tothe point where his hot water and supplies are located. This isparticularly'true if the heating elements as and 71 are used, so thatthe cleaning fluid and the rinsing fluid are maintained in a hotcondition.

One interesting benefit of the present invention is that the spongeblocks 42 and 43 are not subjected to wear. In cleaning floors, theabrasive nature of the floor is quite considerable and the sponges wearout, not so much from the contact with cleaning fluid but mainly becauseof the mechanical abrasive action on the floor on the sponge-likematerial. In the present case, the abrasive action is provided by thedisposable paper sheets and, if desired, the sheets may be treated orimpregnated to increase this abrasive quality so that they clean thefloor better. However, the normal absorptive paper material usually hasfibres which are adequate to act in an abrasive manner when used forcleaning. Since a new sheet of material is continuously being presentedin accordance with the practice of the present invention, these abrasivefibres will not have an opportunity to be worn down before a sheet isdisposed of, so that the cleaning should take place in a very effectivemanner.

It should be understood that the mop with its disposable cover may beused as a dust mop, by applying a spraytype cleaning compound.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of the invention without departing from the material spiritthereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to theexact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include allsuch as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new anddesired to secure by Letters Patent is:

it. Cleaning apparatus, comprising (a) a mop having an elongated handleand a head,

(b) a substantial body of material capable of absorbing and holdinglarge quantities of fluid secured to the head,

(c) clamping means associated with the head,

((1) a cover substantially surrounding the said body and held in placeby the said clamping means, the cover consisting of a plurality oflayers of paper having high wet strength and capable of passing fluidbut not passing dirt contained therein,

(e) localized means for retaining the sheets together until such time asit is desired to remove a layer, each layer being formed with at leastone finger by which it is grasped by the said clamping means, and

(f) a tab extending from the intermediate portion of each finger to aidin removal of a layer.

2. Cleaning apparatus, comprising (a) a cover adapted substantially tosurround a body of a mop and to be held in place by a clamping means,the cover consisting of a plurality of layers of paper having high Wetstrength and capable of passing fluid but not passing dirt containedtherein,

(b) localized means for retaining the sheets together until such time asit is desired to remove a layer, each layer being formed with at leastone finger by which it is grasped by the said clamping means,

(0) and a tab extending from the intermediate portion of each finger toaid in removal of a layer.

No references cited.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

1. CLEANING APPARATUS, COMPRISING (A) A MOP HAVING AN ELONGATED HANDLEAND A HEAD, (B) A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF MATERIAL CAPABLE OFD ABSORBING ANDHOLDING LARGE QUANTITIES OF FLUID SECURED TO THE HEAD, (C) CLAMPINGMEANS ASSOCITED WITH THE HEAD, (D) A COVER SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THESAID BODY AND HELD IN PLACE BY THE SAID CLAMPING MEANS, THE COVERCONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF PAPER HAVING HIGH WET STRENGTHAND CAPABLE OF PASSING FLUID BUT NOT PASSING DIRT CONTAINED THEREIN, (E)LOCALIZED MEANS FOR RETAINING THE SHEETS TOGETHER UNTIL SUCH TIME AS ITIS DESIRED TO REMOVE A LAYER, EACH LAYER BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST ONEFINGER BY WHICH IT IS GRASPED BY THE SAID CLAMPING MEANS, AND (F) A TABEXTENDING FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF EACH FINGER TO AID IN REMOVALOF A LAYER.